Amit Shah's Kolkata huddle with Bengal BJP top brass sets tone for 2026 poll push
Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent visit to Kolkata included a closely guarded meeting with senior BJP leaders, signalling a renewed push to wrest control of West Bengal in the 2026 assembly elections. According to sources, Shah held a closed-door session with Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar.The meeting, lasting over two hours, was centred around fine-tuning the party's roadmap for the high-stakes 294-seat assembly battle, with 148 seats required for a simple majority, sources added.advertisementDuring the meeting, Adhikari submitted a comprehensive report on the BJP's organisational standing across Bengal. Discussions revolved around vote share calculations and electoral arithmetic, with Adhikari reportedly informing Shah that the BJP trails the ruling Trinamool Congress by around 4-5 percent in over 150 seats, based on trends observed between the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
With the BJP holding a steady 40 percent voter share statewide, Adhikari argued that a swing of just 3-4 percent could enable the party to outpace the TMC in these key constituencies and form the next government.A significant portion of the strategy focusses on strengthening booth-level organisation. West Bengal has close to 80,000 polling booths, of which 14,000 are Muslim-majority areas where the BJP does not currently plan to set up booth committees.advertisementInstead, the party is concentrating efforts on building robust teams in approximately 57,000 other booths, despite concerns over what leaders describe as an "atmosphere of terror" in several regions, sources said. BJP leaders Bansal and Pandera have reportedly been assigned the task of enhancing their grassroots presence as part of this focused organisational overhaul.Apart from the political strategy session, Shah also addressed a gathering of around 150 saints at Swami Vivekananda's house, where he outlined a broader ideological framework for the BJP's Bengal campaign.Though he avoided naming specific nations, Shah reportedly spoke of the need for a distinctly Indian "national mindset," in contrast to neighbouring countries - a comment widely interpreted as a reference to Bangladesh. He emphasised that the party's Bengal strategy is not just political but also linked to national security imperatives.The behind-the-scenes meetings and the ideological outreach are seen by insiders as key components of the BJP's evolving campaign architecture aimed at consolidating its base and expanding its appeal across a politically charged Bengal.Must Watch
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